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CVS stores among favorite targets for Orlando robbers

ORLANDO, Fla. - Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said Wednesday that deputies arrested five men connected to 40 violent crimes dating back to December 2013.

What stands out is that more than a dozen of those robberies targeted CVS stores specifically, so Channel 9's Kenneth Craig went out with a law enforcement and security expert on Thursday in effort to figure out why those stores may have been targeted.

"They're hitting places where they have the highest probability of getting more money, and that would be a CVS," said law enforcement expert Mark Lang.

According to Lang, a former sheriff's office captain, overall security doesn't appear to be the problem and that it's rather the chain itself that's attracting the crooks.

Investigators said the armed robberies were the work of seven different men that were part of two organized groups, both of which targeted the pharmacy chain multiple times.

"On the food chain for stores, convince stores, they have high-ticket items in there and they will have more money than a 7-Eleven or Circle K," said Lang.

Lang said the security features, including the abundance of cameras, seemed adequate.

"The front counter is highly accessible to anyone," said Lang. "There's a front door like a farm door. Open it up, you don't have to jump the counter or do anything."

Channel 9 contacted the pharmacy giant to ask what it's doing to make the store less of a target.

In a statement, CVS said, "The safety and well-being of our customers and employees is our highest priority and we work closely with law enforcement in their investigations of robbery incidents.

"We have security policies and procedures in place at all of our stores and we regularly review them to ensure effectiveness. However, we do not comment on specific security measures so as not to undermine them.

"We are committed to ensuring that CVS/pharmacy remains a safe environment for our customers to shop and fill their prescriptions."